Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Holmes addresses the Soldiers of the 194th Engineer Brigade. Holmes was promoted to Brigadier General and assumed command of the Brigade in a ceremony July 10.

NASHVILLE – Col. Jeffrey H. Holmes, of Lascassas, was promoted to Brigadier General in ceremonies in Jackson Sunday, July 10.

Earlier this year Maj. Gen. Terry M. Haston, Tennessee’s Adjutant General, named Holmes Commander of the Tennessee National Guard’s 194th Engineer Brigade headquartered in Jackson, and he officially assumed command in the July 10 ceremony.
 
Holmes previously served as the commander of  the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment headquartered in Knoxville, and replaces Brig. Gen. Robert A. Harris, who commanded the 194th since 2006.  Harris was named as the Assistant Adjutant General, Army, for the Tennessee National Guard in June.
 
Holmes stated that he looked forward to serving with the Soldiers of the 194th and described the citizen-soldiers of Tennessee as “great warriors” that carry on the outstanding military tradition that reaches back to our nation’s earliest history.
 
Brig. Gen. Holmes is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture in 1984.  He was commissioned Field Artillery from the Tennessee Military Academy  Officer Candidate School in 1983. His military education includes the Armor Officer Basic Course, the Armor Officer Advanced Course, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College.
 
Among his awards Brig. Gen. Holmes holds the Combat Action Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medal, Tennessee National Guard Distinguished Service Medal, Tennessee National Guard Commendation Ribbon, and Tennessee National Guard Individual Achievement Ribbon.